California Assembly Bill AB2290 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 2290AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 29, 2016 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 18, 2016 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Santiago FEBRUARY 18, 2016 An act to  repeal and add Section 60605.3 of   add Section 60605.5 to  the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2290, as amended, Santiago. Pupil instruction:  world   foreign  languages. Existing law requires the State Board of Education, on or before June 1, 2009, to adopt content standards for teaching foreign languages in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, pursuant to recommendations developed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.  This bill would authorize the Superintendent to recommend modifications to the foreign language academic content standards to the state board and would require the state board to adopt, reject, or modify the recommendations on or before July 30, 2018. The bill would require the state board to explain, in writing, to the Governor and the Legislature the reasons for modifying the standards. The bill would require the Superintendent, in consultation with the state board, to select a group of experts for purposes of assisting the Superintendent in developing the recommendations. The bill would require the Superintendent to hold a minimum of 2 public hearings in order for the public to provide input on the Superintendent's recommendations and would require the state board to adopt, reject, or modify the recommendations at a subsequent public hearing. The bill would require that modifications to the foreign language academic content standards be incorporated into the curriculum framework and the evaluation criteria for mathematics for purposes of adopting instructional materials.   This bill would establish the World Language Content Standards Advisory Committee, as provided. The bill would require the advisory committee to recommend to the state board updated world language content standards and a world language framework for teaching foreign language in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, as provided. The bill would require, if the state board adopts the content standards and the framework, the state board to adopt the content standards on or before September 1, 2017, and the framework on or before January 1, 2018.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:  SECTION 1.   Section 60605.5 is added to the   Education Code   , to read:   60605.5. (a) The Superintendent may recommend to the state board modifications to the foreign language academic content standards adopted by the state board pursuant to Section 60605.3. On or before July 30, 2018, the state board shall adopt, reject, or modify any modifications proposed by the Superintendent. If the state board modifies the foreign language academic content standards, it shall explain, in writing, to the Governor and the Legislature the reasons for modifying the standards. (b) In consultation with the state board, the Superintendent shall select a group of experts in mathematics for purposes of assisting the Superintendent in developing recommendations pursuant to this section. The Superintendent shall ensure that the group of experts includes, but is not limited to, both researchers and practitioners in the field of foreign language education, representatives from higher education and the K-12 educational system, and experts in alphabet-based and nonalphabet-based languages and American Sign language. (c) (1) The Superintendent shall hold a minimum of two public hearings in order for the public to provide input on the modifications recommended pursuant this section and the state board shall adopt, reject, or modify those recommendations at a subsequent public meeting. (2) The public meetings required by this subdivision shall be held pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code). (d) If the foreign language academic content standards are modified pursuant to subdivision (a), during the next revision of the foreign language curriculum framework and evaluation criteria, the Instructional Quality Commission shall ensure that the modifications are incorporated into the foreign language curriculum framework and evaluation criteria for purposes of adopting instructional materials.   SECTION 1.   Section 60605.3 of the Education Code is repealed.   SEC. 2.   Section 60605.3 is added to the Education Code, to read: 60605.3. (a) (1) There is hereby established the World Language Content Standards Advisory Committee. (2) The advisory committee shall consist of 21 members, appointed as follows: (A) Ten members appointed by the Governor. (B) Four members appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules. (C) Four members appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly. (D) Three members appointed by the Superintendent. (3) Members of the advisory committee shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority. (4) Not less than one-half of the members appointed by each of the appointing authorities pursuant to paragraph (2) shall be current public school elementary or secondary classroom teachers. (5) The advisory committee shall do all of the following: (A) Review the existing content standards established for teaching foreign languages in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. (B) Considering the impact that the proposed updates will have upon school districts and existing curricula and assessments, prepare updates to the current content standards that reflect research findings and best practices in the field and those that the advisory committee deems necessary. (C) Recommend to the state board the updated world language content standards and a world language framework for teaching foreign language in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. (D) (i) Conduct at least two, and no more than six, in-person meetings including opportunities for public input. (ii) The advisory committee may convene additional meetings by teleconference or the Internet. (iii) Pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), all meetings and hearings of the advisory committee, whether live or by teleconference or Internet, shall be open and available to the public. (6) On or before ____, the advisory committee shall present its recommended updated world language content standards to the state board. (7) Members of the advisory committee shall serve without compensation, except for actual and necessary travel expenses and costs of substitutes, if any, for the members of the advisory committee who are school teachers. (8) Upon completing this review and presenting the recommendations to the state board, the terms of the members of the advisory committee shall cease. (b) The department shall post on its Internet Web site the updates to the world language content standards proposed by the advisory committee for a minimum of 60 days. The department shall include a link by which members of the public may submit comments on the proposed updates. (c) No earlier than 60 days after the department posts the proposed updated world language content standards on the department's Internet Web site pursuant to subdivision (b) and no later than 120 days after receiving the recommended updated world language content standards from the advisory committee, the state board shall do either of the following: (1) Adopt the content standards as proposed by the advisory committee. (2) Reject the content standards as proposed by the advisory committee. If the state board rejects the content standards, it shall provide a specific written explanation to the Superintendent, the Governor, and the Legislature of the reasons why the proposed content standards were rejected. (d) If the state board adopts the world language content standards pursuant to the recommendations developed by the advisory committee, the state board shall do so on or before September 1, 2017. (e) If the state board adopts the world language framework pursuant to recommendations developed by the advisory committee, the state board shall do so on or before January 1, 2018.